Headphone Hazards

So after reading my last blog post, you should now know how to find the perfect pair of headphones. But before you use your new pair, there are two potential dangers you should be aware of.

First, listening with the volume turned up too high for too long can lead to hearing loss. The Journal of the American Medical Association published an article in August of 2010 stating that 20% of teenagers in the United States have slight hearing loss, meaning they can't accurately hear certain consonants or rustled sounds. The study cited listening to music through headphones at high volumes for over an hour a day for at least five years as a possible cause.

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Check out the list below to put volume level into context. Prolonged exposure to anything over 85 decibels (db) can cause hearing loss. So if your headphones are louder than your blender, turn down your track!

Quiet library - 30 db

Normal conversation, dishwasher - 65 db

Alarm clocks, telephone dial tone - 80 db

City street in a car - 85 db

Hair dryers, blenders, lawnmowers - 90 db

Mp3 players at full volume - 100 db

Power mower - 105 db

Concerts, car racing, sporting events - 110 db

Jet planes taking off - 120 db

Ambulances - 130 db

Gun shots, fireworks, car stereos at full blast - 140 db

If you're still at a loss as to what's too loud, a good rule of thumb is to keep the volume at 70% of the maximum volume for headphones you buy from the store and 80% for those that came with your mp3 player (iPod, Zune, etc). Here's some sound advice if you have headphones that aren't sound-isolating (which you shouldn't be wearing outside of the house anyway): If you can't hear a person talking to you at arm's length, turn down the volume or you're putting yourself at risk for hearing loss.

While rocking out as you're walking down the street or logging a long run can make the trip more pleasant, if you're wearing headphones, you can be significnatly less aware of what's going on around you (making it our second potential danger). It may seem commonsensical that several states have banned headphones while driving, but did you know that legislation is being introduced to ban wearing headphones while crossing a street? As an avid music lover who couldn't imagine my morning commute without tunes, I'm not advising you to forego headphones altogether. But it is important that you not be so distracted that you're not aware of what's going on around you. While it's fine to use sound-isolating equipment in the relative safety of the gym or your family room, even in those places you should be mindful of your environment.

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